Why Methodology Matters
Casino review sites are only as useful as the honesty of their review process. Many review sites rank the casinos according to the affiliate commission that the casino pays to the gambling website promotion operators. The ranking of the casino that we feature on our website is determined by the ability of the casino to protect its players.
Should a casino fail the steps required in the first stage in the verification of the licence that it holds, the casino is not permitted to continue through to the following verification steps. The casino will not be featured on our website.
Step 1 - Licence Verification
Check the regulator's public register
The licence number of the casino is looked up on the official website of the gambling regulator of the country in which the casino is licensed. If the licence number is not found on that website or if the licence is expired, the casino will not be featured on our website.
Step 2 - Ownership and Operator History
The ownership of the casino is researched and the history of the company that owns the casino is also looked into. The brands that the company has operated in the past and any sanctions that have been placed on the company are also noted. Any operator that has a history of revoking the licence of the casinos that they have operated and of receiving player complaints against those casinos will score a lower rating for safety of the player.
Step 3 - Bonus Terms Analysis
All bonus terms and conditions of the casinos that we feature on our website are read and reviewed. The industry average wagering requirement for licensed casinos is approximately 35x the bonus amount. Any wagering requirements higher than 40x the bonus amount are considered unfavourable by our website and the casinos with such requirements will be noted as having unfavourable terms in the casino reviews. Any wagering requirements set at 50x or higher of the bonus amount are considered a significant red flag for the casino. We also check:
- Wagering requirements - the multiplier applied to bonus funds before withdrawal is permitted. Industry norm: 30-35x. We flag: 40x+. We warn against: 50x+
- Max bet restriction - the maximum stake allowed while wagering a bonus. Anything below £/€0.50 per spin restricts normal play meaningfully
- Game contribution rates - what percentage of each game type counts toward wagering. Slots typically contribute 100%; live casino games often contribute 10% or less, meaning a 35x bonus effectively becomes 350x if you play live tables
- Bonus expiry - how many days before unused bonus funds are forfeited. 7 days or fewer is tight; 30 days is considered fair
- Max withdrawal cap - whether winnings from free spins or bonuses are capped. A cap below £/€200 on free spin winnings is common but worth noting
Any casinos that feature wagering requirements higher than 40x the bonus amount, maximum bet amounts per spin of less than 0.50 or maximum withdrawal amounts below 200 will be noted as having unfavourable terms in their casino reviews.
Step 4 - Payment Methods and Withdrawal Speed
The payment methods that a casino feature for both deposits and withdrawals from the casino are noted, as are the limits on those payments and the time it takes for those withdrawals to be processed by the casino. The withdrawal times for the casino are also cross referenced with the various online comment sections of the casino's review websites to determine if the timeframes noted on the casino's website match with the experience of its players.
Casinos that have withdrawal limits of less than 5,000 per month, require documentation for withdrawals and those that have withdrawal times longer than those noted in review comment sections will score a lower rating for the casino on our website.
Step 5 - Customer Support Quality
All of the live chat functions on the websites of the casinos that we review are tested to determine if they are available 24-7, if they respond to inquiries made by players and if they are able to answer questions regarding the operations of the casino. Specifically, we check:
- Whether live chat is available 24/7 or limited hours
- Response time to initial contact
- Whether the agent demonstrates genuine product knowledge
- Whether the agent can answer specific questions about licence, bonus terms, and withdrawal process
Casinos will score higher on our website if their live chat functions respond to players within 60 seconds, between 1 and 3 minutes is acceptable and any response times longer than 5 minutes will be noted as a negative point for the casino. Casinos are required to respond to player emails within 24 hours, and responses within 48 hours or more will be noted as a negative point for the casino. Responses from the live chat representatives of the casinos that are featured on our website must not be scripted, they should not direct players to AI chatbots, and they must be able to answer questions made by players regarding the operations of the casino.
Step 6 - Responsible Gambling Tools
The tools for responsible gambling by the casinos are noted and checked to see if they are easily accessible by players. All casinos will have at least deposit limits, time limits for gambling sessions and options for self-exclusion from gambling on their platforms. For a full overview of these tools, see our responsible gambling guide. For casinos licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, the integration of GamStop is a legal requirement which is checked separately.
Any casinos that do not feature responsible gambling tools on their websites or that require contact with the customer service department of the casino to gain access to these tools will score a lower rating on our website.
Step 7 - Game Library and Software Providers
The size of the game library of the casinos and the software companies that license and provide the games to the casinos is noted. The availability of certified games from companies such as eCOGRA, iTechLabs and BMM is also noted and any expiry dates for the casinos' RNG certification is noted. This criteria is the last to be checked because the quality of the games that a casino features is only important if the other criteria for safety have first been met and satisfied.
The return rate percentage (RTP) of the slot games at the casino will be checked and compared to the industry benchmark for licensed casinos of between 94 and 97 percent. Any slot games published by certified software companies will fall within this rate. Any casinos that feature a high number of slot machines without published RTP percentages or any RTP percentages below 92 percent will be noted in the casino reviews on our website as having a negative factor. By comparison, the theoretical RTP for European roulette is fixed at 97.3% - any live casino game with a stated RTP materially below its theoretical house edge should be questioned.
How We Calculate the Safety Rating
The safety rating of the casinos on our website is a score out of 5, which is calculated according to the importance of the various criteria listed above. The licence quality of the casinos scores more than a third of the total safety score for each casino because no other criteria can compensate for a lack of licence of a casino. Casinos holding a UKGC licence or Isle of Man licence score highest alongside MGA on this criterion, as all three regulators require player fund segregation and independent game audits.
| Criterion | Weight | What earns a high score | What earns a low score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence strength and verification | 35% | UKGC or MGA licence, active status, clean operator history | Curaçao only, past revocations, unresolved sanctions |
| Payment reliability | 25% | E-wallet withdrawals in 1-3 days, limit £10,000+/month, no pattern of delays | Limit below £5,000/month, excessive KYC barriers, community reports of slow pays |
| Bonus fairness | 20% | Wagering 30x or below, clear terms, no exploitative restrictions | Wagering 40x+, hidden max-bet clauses, very short expiry |
| Responsible gambling tools | 10% | Deposit limits, session limits, self-exclusion all in account settings | Tools hidden, require contacting support, GamStop not integrated (UKGC) |
| Customer support | 10% | 24/7 live chat, response under 60 seconds, knowledgeable agents | No live chat, response over 5 min, scripted or evasive answers |
How Often We Update Reviews
All website pages are reviewed and updated at a minimum every 3 months, but licence information is checked every month. Should a casino be notified of any changes to the casinos (whether positive or negative) we will update the website within 48 hours of being notified.
Each page has a date of the last update. Should you find the information on our website to be out of date, please let us know by contacting the website via the contact page.